ASIA / South Korea OKs Visit To North by Clerics

1995-05-04 04:00:00 PDT Seoul -- Two days after North Korea agreed to resume nuclear talks with Washington, South Korea gave eight religious leaders permission to visit the communist state.

South Korea has said it will allow greater civilian contact with the North to improve ties, but until yesterday had withheld permission because of heightened tensions.

Those tensions subsided Monday when the North announced that it would restart talks on replacing its nuclear reactors, suspected of being used to produce atomic weapons. Talks had broken down last month over North Korea's objection to taking replacement reactors built by South Korea.